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Monday, April 30, 2012

ONE WEEK! That's how long it is until the release of the final book in the Personal Demons trilogy. I'm hoping that some of you might want to read it. To get you warmed up, here's LAST RITE in a nutshell...

The Song That is LAST RITE:

The Full LAST RITE Playlist:

(note: Pillar's Rewind is truncated, but the full upload wasn't available.)

The Jacket Copy:

In this final installment of the thrilling, edgy Personal
Demons series, the battle between Heaven and Hell has become critical, and
Frannie Cavanaugh is right at the center of it.

With the help of the powerful
angel Gabe and demon-turned-mortal Luc, Frannie has been able to stay one step
ahead of the forces of Hell. But when the demons killed Frannie's best friend
and destroyed her brother, they raised the stakes. If Frannie wants to
keep her family and friends safe, she knows she has no choice but to go on
the run.

Their best defense is the
power Frannie has been struggling to master, but her attempts to hone her
skill go horribly awry. If Frannie doesn't learn fast, the
consequences could be devastating—even apocalyptic.

What happens when you can't outrun Hell...or trust the
ones you love?

The Narrators:LUC

Luc is a demon’s demon. He's worked in Hell's Acquisitions department for five millennia using every tool at his disposal to tempt teenagers down the fiery path. Frannie's just one more soul. Nothing special. But, from nearly the moment they meet, she makes him feel things. Things demons aren’t supposed to be able to feel. Things he can’t even begin to understand or articulate. But things that make him question everything that he is, nonetheless. He knows Frannie doesn't deserve the fate that King Lucifer has planned for her and, for the first time he finds himself questioning his purpose. And when all of Hell comes after her, he has a choice to make.

GABE

Gabe has one goal: to keep Luc from getting what he came
for. It's his only purpose, and he's willing to do whatever it takes.
Because Frannie possesses a unique skill set that has King Lucifer tingling
with anticipation, and, if Lucifer gets his hands on her, it would mean the end
of Heaven—and therefore Earth—as we know it. But if he goes too far—far
enough to lose his wings—he can’t protect Frannie, and he’s useless to her. So,
the question is, how far is too far? Because, somewhere along the way he feels
things change. What was just a job turns personal. He finds himself being drawn
in—wanting Frannie in ways he shouldn’t. And, when it becomes clear that she
wants him too, he has to decide if he’s willing to risk his wings—and maybe
Frannie’s soul—for what he wants.

Frannie finds herself in a place she never imagined, caught in an epic struggle for her soul between Heaven and Hell. And the stakes are high--the fate of Heaven, and therefore Earth hangs in the balance. With Luc and Gabe at her side, she hopes to stay one step ahead of Hell. But what happens when Hell has a face and it's someone you love?

Frannie has to decide who she can trust when no one seems to be telling the truth. And her choice might determine the fate of everything.

And now your chance to win a NOOK loaded with the Personal Demons trilogy!!

Every single person who enters will win Personal Demons swag! Three lucky winners will receive a full set of Personal Demons books, either on CD audiobook (can I just add here that the guy who voices Luc is droolworthy, and the guy who does Gabe... *swoon*), or in paperback. And the GRAND PRIZE WINNER will receive a NOOK LOADED WITH THE ENTIRE TRILOGY!!!

All you have to do enter is fill out the form below. The contest is open until LAST RITE release day, Tuesday, May 8th at noon PST! As always, this contest is international. One entry per person, please!

Friday, April 27, 2012

And...we have some winners! Remember that your last chance to win LAST RITE will be up on the blog on Monday, and it'll be a doozy! There will be three winners, and one of them will receive a NOOK loaded with the entire Personal Demons trilogy! Yay!

So, our winners for today...

Randomizing...

The winner of a signed copy of Original Sin is...

Sarah!!

And the winner of signed copies of all of this:

is...

Avery!!!

Congrats to the winners!! I will email you as soon as I dig myself out of this manuscript!

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

This time last week, I was on my way to Houston for the Texas Library Association annual conference. I knew Texas was a big state. I used to live there. But I had no idea there were so many librarians there! This conference is HUGE, and I met a ton of fabulous librarians and readers. I also met some amazing authors, like Kristin Cashore, who helped me figure out which end of my straw hat was the front.

We had an awesome lunch with a great group of librarians, and I told them the same story you've heard here on my blog of how I started writing. It was for my daughter, who's a total bookworm. She spent her lunch period in junior high in the library and her librarian directed her to many excellent YA books.

I started reading them and loved them and decided to write my daughter a book for her birthday. So, it's really all because of my daughter's librarian that I ever wrote a book. Here's my WANTED poster from the event. Five extra contest entries to the first person who can tell me what's wrong with this poster. (Update: Cynthia was close on her second guess and Jackson got it, so I'm giving them both the 5 bonus entries. Answer: There are two Personal Demons covers, but the one on the right was never a cover--ebook or otherwise. It was an early cover comp that was never used.)

I hung out before the luncheon with some other Tor authors, including the lovely Kiki Hamilton (The Fairie Ring), Cherie Priest (Boneshaker, etc) and Orson Scott Card (Enders Game, etc)

I spent some time at the Tor booth where I found this:

I met one of my favorite ladies, Katie Bartow, the founder of Mundie Moms.

(sidenote: I also got to hang out with Katie's sidekick, Sophie, this weekend in Reno :p)

I spoke on a panel with fabulous authors Stacey Kade, Jessica Warman and Charlie Higson, which I sadly don't have a picture of. A good time was had by all =)

But now I'm home and a day late posting my contest. So for those of you wanting another chance to win a signed copy of Last Rite, here it is! Just enter in comments to win signed copies of all this:

A runner up will receive a signed copy of Original Sin. Remember that entries do not carry over from week to week, so your name needs to appear in the comments below to enter for this giveaway. To enter, all you have to do is comment below and tell me if you go to your library for books. Remember that five extra contest entries go to the first person who can correctly tell me what's wrong with the wanted poster above. You must be 13 or older to enter. Extra entries can be accumulated as follows:

Add up your points in your comment, please, because my math sucks. Also, leave me a way to contact you if you WIN! Contest closes Friday April 27th at 12 noon, PST. Winners will be chosen by the randomizer and posted here that afternoon. Starting next week, the contest prizes get bigger (think: NOOK), so don't forget to check back every Monday between now and May 7th!

Friday, April 20, 2012

I was hanging out with awesome librarians and teens at the Texas Library Association conference this week (pics to come) and didn't get a chance to check in until today. I have to say, the Team Luc/Team Gabe results surprise me a little. Gabe is winning some of you over, which makes my heart happy. I love him and writing from his POV in Last Rite nearly broke my heart. So, for those of you who got the comment point for answering the question, the results were: *drumroll*

Team Luc: 50%Team Gabe: 50%

That's right! An exactly even split! I'll be asking the question again after you've read Last Rite, because with Gabe's POV, I'm thinking a few more minds may be swayed. ;p

Monday, April 16, 2012

With three weeks until the release of LAST RITE, I decided this may be the time to give you a few sneak peeks. I know there are a lot of Luc lovers out there, but I've heard for two books now that y'all want Gabe's POV. Well, guess what? You're finally going to get it. Most of you know Gabe as my tormented angel. He's the most conflicted character in the Personal Demons trilogy. Today, we get into Gabe's head.

Gabe has one goal: to keep Luc from getting what he came for. It's his only purpose, and he's willing to do whatever it takes. Because Frannie possesses a unique skill set that has King Lucifer tingling with anticipation, and, if Lucifer gets his hands on her, it would mean the end of Heaven—and therefore Earth—as we know it.

But if he goes too far—far enough to lose his wings—he can’t protect Frannie, and he’s useless to her. So, the question is, how far is too far? Because, somewhere along the way he feels things change. What was just a job turns personal. He finds himself being drawn in—wanting Frannie in ways he shouldn’t. And, when it becomes clear that she wants him too, he has to decide if he’s willing to risk his wings—and maybe Frannie’s soul—for what he wants.

Here it the first look we get into Gabe's head in LAST RITE. There is very little spoilage, but if you don't want to risk it, scroll to the end for this week's LAST RITE contest =)

Gabe

I can’t believe I’m thinking this.

How can I consider putting her in danger—directly into His path? This isn’t a plan. It’s insanity.

But it’s all I got.

I pull myself to my feet and watch Frannie disappear behind her door. I don’t know how long we have. A few months, or maybe just weeks. Whatever it is, it’s not long enough. I won’t be able to hide her forever, so something needs to change.

Luc is staring at me, waiting for me to come clean. He’s not going to let this drop. And he shouldn’t.

I should tell them. I know that. Eventually, I’ll have to.

Ha. Eventually.

Who am I kidding? Eventually is now. Because time’s up.

But I keep praying for something different; a safer plan for Frannie. So far my prayers have gone unanswered—and I’m afraid I know why.

I head for the door and Luc cuts me a parting glare. Once on the porch I look out over the predictable tides. They’ve ebbed and flowed for eons, just as good and evil have ebbed and flowed. But the balance is shifting. Lucifer has decided the Rules don’t apply anymore. And Frannie is our best weapon to shift it back.

I’ve always known Frannie was special, but I’m starting to think it’s bigger than her Sway. There’s a subtle power that radiates off her. I sensed it in the beginning, and, despite her insecurity and doubt, it gets stronger every day. I can’t identify it—it’s nothing I’ve never felt before—and I’m afraid of what it means for her. But despite my feelings for her, she’s a soldier and this is a battleground.

I walk out onto the beach and settle into the sand. Its warmth radiates through me as I lie back, closing my eyes. I let the tension run out of me and wash myself in peace, then give myself up to the last crimson rays of Light. There’s a painful tug in my gut as I move with them, nothing more than light myself, and, when I open my eyes, I find myself standing in the Collective. All around me is a whole lot of nothing. White energy. Except, floating in the center of all that nothing is the Board.

The Board is really a misnomer. It’s not a board at all. It’s a sphere. The Earth. It’s ethereal, like a floating cloud, and, at the moment, relatively small—about four feet in diameter. I glance up at the mass of twinkling blue lights dancing over the surface of the Board like fireflies. Humanity. The white lights of the celestial move among them, but it’s the red ones I’m interested in. I step back and ask the Board to size up for better detail.

Instantly, it’s easily a half mile across.

“Gabriel,” a voice says.

Without turning, I spin the Board and take several minutes to peruse it, stopping at the Florida Keys. No red lights within at least a mile of the bungalow. I’m sure the infernal are looking, but they haven’t found her yet. Frannie’s safe for now.

“Thanks for your help at the airstrip,” I finally say.

Celine paces to my side as I reach forward and touch the blue light that represents Frannie.

“You’re welcome,” she says with a crisp nod, her copper curls bouncing with the gesture. “You wanted to know when Marchosias had been located.”

My eyes slide from the Board to Celine. She folds her wings behind her slender frame and points a long finger at a flashing red light just north of Boston.

I rotate the Board and scan the area for white lights. “Who do we have on Frannie’s family?”

She cringes. “You didn’t leave orders…”

Because I was hoping that our leaving would draw them away. “Who’s available?”

Celine sweeps her hand over the Board and a series of white lights flicker, each representing a guardian available to take on a new charge. “Not many. Lucifer’s crews are marauding and there’s more instances of coercion.” Her expression is a mix of sadness and rage as she turns her eyes on me. “He’s cheating, Gabriel, sending them into synagogues, churches, and mosques. He’s actively seeking out innocents and the faithful, influencing them to sin.” She runs a finger over the Board. “We’re bringing new guardians on line everyday, accelerating the training program to try and cover the growing need, but we don’t have enough guardians to protect all of humanity.”

The sense of dread that’s been growing steadily in my gut settles deeper and takes root.

It’s starting.

The Almighty has overlooked Lucifer’s contravening of boundaries for too long and now things are starting to spiral out of control.

Frannie.

I can’t help thinking this escalation has something to do with her. Her power is growing, and so is Lucifer’s brazenness—and His disregard for the Rules.

I look back at my options on the Board. “We’ll send Aaron to Haden. Let him get a feel for the situation.”

As much as I understand her apprehension, he’s the obvious choice. His last charge—a nun bound for sainthood—just died of natural causes at the ripe age of 104, despite Lucifer’s early and numerous attempts to corrupt her. “He’s my oldest and most experienced,” I say, wincing at the memory of what happened when I sent someone younger and greener.

Celine's head jerks in a sharp nod. “Done.”

I spin away from the Board as Aaron fades in next to me. He leans his broad frame nonchalantly into a rail that solidifies next to him and quirks a cocky half smile, which brings out his deep dimple on that side. “You rang?” he says with a lift of one platinum brow.

“I need you for a job.” My eyes shift between him and Celine and I wonder, briefly, if I’m making the right call. “Do you think you can stay out of trouble?”

“O ye of little faith,” he says, picking at his perfect teeth with a perfect fingernail.

I sit back into a white executive chair that materializes under me. “This is serious, Aaron. I need you on your best behavior.”

He stops picking at his teeth and cuts me a look. “If you don’t think I can handle it, why did you call me?”

I hold his gaze. “Because I need someone with your experience.”

His mouth twitches into a sardonic smile. “I guess you’ll just have to trust me, then, oh mighty one.” He bows with a flourish.

I pinch my forehead against the sudden sharp pain there.

A headache? What next?

“Don’t make this personal,” I say through gritted teeth.

His expression twists into something hard. “You’re the one who made this personal when you—”

Celine steps between us, a hand on Aaron’s chest. “He’ll be fine,” she says, her voice low but potent.

Aaron bites back his comment and turns to the Board. “What’s the assignment?”

I haul myself out of the chair, which disappears the instant I push away from it, lift my hand and tap my finger on the Board over Haden. “Help Daniel with whatever he needs.”

He glares at the Board for a moment. “Daniel? You’re not serious,” he sneers. “I’m supposed to take orders from a Grigori? He’s fallen, Gabriel,” he adds, folding his arms defiantly across his chest.

Again, I second-guess myself. I’m within a hair’s breadth of telling him to forget the whole thing when Celine speaks. “That’s her family, Aaron. What’s wrong? Too big of a job?”

Aaron spins and cuts a glare at me before turning to the Board. “So what is it that I’m supposed to do, exactly?”

“What you do best,” I reply.

He puffs out his chest. “I am the best, though no one around here seems to remember that little factoid.”

It’s useless to point out that being older does not automatically make him better. It’s been a bone of contention since my creation. But the fact is, his real beef is with the archangel Gabriel—not me.

After the War in Heaven, Lucifer fell and started creating His army. Gabriel determined he could no longer serve as the sole protector of all humanity and asked the Almighty for an army of guardians. Aaron was one of the first trained and one of Gabriel’s favorites. Shortly after, when it was decided that Gabriel would delegate control of the guardians to another, Aaron believed he was the obvious choice. So when Gabriel asked the Almighty to create a Dominion to serve as his Left Hand—one more powerful than the guardians who could watch over them—Aaron was furious.

And still is.

He resents me for being what he couldn’t, but he’s smart enough not to take out his frustration on Gabriel. He believes he was slighted, and for the six thousand years since my creation, he’s never let me forget it.

As Aaron smirks and fades out, and his white light pops onto the Board near Frannie’s house, I have to remind myself that he is, in fact, one of the very best.

I follow the Light back to the beach, where I sit and stare out over the waves, red in the glow of the setting sun. I pull myself out of the sand, praying I’m making the right call. If there was a way I could just hide Frannie away forever, I would. But they’re going to find us. With all of Hell looking, it’s just a matter of time.

So, there you have it: your first look into Gabe and Heaven. And now for this week's contest. I have a few more fabulous signed books to give away, and then the prizes get BIGGER! (Think NOOK. :p) So, this weeks grand prize winner will receive signed copies of both of these:

A runner up will receive a signed copy of ORIGINAL SIN. =)

Remember that entries do not carry over from week to week, so your name needs to appear in the comments below to enter for this giveaway. To enter, all you have to do is comment below and tell me whether you're Team Gabe or Team Luc and why. (If you haven't read PD, just take a guess between angel or demon.) You must be 13 or older to enter. Extra entries can be accumulated as follows:Follow this blog: +1Follow me on Twitter (@LisaDez): +1Tweet or Facebook a link to this contest: +1"Like" the Personal Demons Books Facebook page +1

Add up your points in your comment, please, because my math sucks. Also, leave me a way to contact you if you WIN! Contest closes Friday April 20th at 12 noon, PST. Winners will be chosen by the randomizer and posted here that afternoon. There will be a new contest for signed copies of Last Rite and other signed books every Monday between now and May 7th, so don't forget to check back every Monday to enter!

Friday, April 13, 2012

Well, that actually depends on what they choose. We have two winners today who can each choose any two of these four signed books:

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to enter! Throwing y'all into the randomizer... (I'm trying to be gentle. Tell me if it hurts in there.)

And, our first winner is...

Memrie!!

And, the second winner is...

ValerieStuckInBooks!!

Congrats to the winners. If it's not you, remember there will be more contests each Monday. And the prizes are about to get BIGGER! (Think NOOK, iPod) Don't forget to check back in each Monday to enter!

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

I'm late. Sorry about that. Had a ton of stuff happen yesterday and didn't realize until late that I'd forgotten to post my LAST RITE contest for this week. So, because I kept you waiting, I'm going to give away TWO COPIES OF LAST RITE! But first, a few things...

1) ENTRIES DO NOT CARRY OVER. If you entered last week, or the week before, or the week before that, you still have to enter here. If your name's not in the comments of THIS POST, you are not entered.

and

2) Some of you have been forgetting to answer my question in your comments. I've gone easy on you so far, but I'd love to hear your answers. Small price to pay for free books, yeah?

So, without further ado, here goes.

There will be two winners this week. Each will get their choice of signed copies of any two of these three:

Or, you can choose a signed copy of this and one of the above:

Because of the recent release of The Hunger Games and some other stuff going on, I've been thinking about books-to-movies. To enter you need to tell me what book-to-movie you think the movie people did the best job with. Remember that entries do not carry over from week to week, so your name needs to appear in the comments below to enter for this giveaway. You must be 13 or older to enter. Extra entries can be accumulated as follows:

Add up your points in your comment, please, because my math sucks. Also, leave me a way to contact you if you WIN! Contest closes Friday April 13th at 12 noon, PDT. Winners will be chosen by the randomizer and posted here that afternoon. There will be a new contest for signed copies of Last Rite and other signed books (think Holly Black, Veronica Rossi, Marie Lu) every Monday between now and May 7th, so don't forget to check back every Monday to enter!

Saturday, April 7, 2012

It's time again to post this week's LAST RITE winners! Thanks to everyone who stopped by to enter. If you didn't win, remember to check back on Monday for another chance at LAST RITE and another fabulous bonus book (signed, as always :p).

Randomizing...

And the winner of a signed copy of ORIGINAL SIN is...

BookBreather!!

This week's winner of LAST RITE and a signed copy of BORN WICKED is...

Kody is a cheater and picked something from her soon to be released, A Midsummers Nightmare, *jabs Kody* but I'll do it right. ;p

I actually have three works-in-progress, two very hot YAs and a MG, so I chose the one I've been picking at most lately. This is from page 77 of one of the YAs. It's a contemporary with speculative elements. This is from my female MC, Val's, POV.

As set up, Val is on her way with her best friend, Persephone, to her first date with a boy who's totally swept her off her feet. But, also along are Persephone's boyfriend, Billy, and his friends, Scott and Wyatt, the later of whom Val sort of crushed on freshman year until she found out he was a total jerk. So, here goes.

“So…I’m not sure what happened with us last year,” Wyatt said, sidling closer, his arm brushing mine as we walked. “I thought we had…you know…some kind of connection.”

“Yeah? Really? I don’t remember that,” I said.

“Well…” he waved his arm toward the rest of the group, who were half a block ahead of us, “with Billy and Persephone dating I guess we’ll be spending the summer together.”

Lots of you have already won signed ARCs of LAST RITE and other signed books by John Green, Beth Revis, Stacy Jay and more over the last few weeks. This is your chance to enter for this week's signed copy of LAST RITE! Because I love you, I'll throw in another signed book. Let's see...something fabulous... Got it. In addition to LAST RITE, one lucky winner will also receive a signed copy of Jessica Spotswood's BORN WICKED. And, as always, a runner up will receive a signed copy of ORIGINAL SIN.

All you have to do to enter is tell me if you've read any books by the authors listed above (including Kody). Remember that entries do not carry over from week to week, so your name needs to appear in the comments below to enter for this giveaway. You must be 13 or older to enter. Extra entries can be accumulated as follows:Follow this blog: +1Follow me on Twitter (@LisaDez): +1Tweet or Facebook a link to this contest: +1"Like" the Personal Demons Books Facebook page +1

Add up your points in your comment, please, because my math sucks. Also, leave me a way to contact you if you WIN! Contest closes Friday April 6th at 12 noon, PDT. Winners will be chosen by the randomizer and posted here that afternoon. There will be a new contest for signed copies of Last Rite and other signed books (think Holly Black, Veronica Rossi, Marie Lu) every Monday between now and May 7th, so don't forget to check back every Monday to enter!
Good luck!! :p

a little too far series

A LITTLE TOO HOT (ALTF #3)
When 21 yo Samantha West takes a job as an exotic dancer out of desperation, her first private client makes her want to break all the rules, but his secret will probably get her killed.Barnes & Noble,iBooks,Amazon